Wells College’s Book Arts Summer Institute

Teaching week-long classes is gratifying for me because I get to see more developed projects than those created in one- or two-day workshops. This past week I taught a class in paper engineering to an enthusiastic group of seven students at Wells College Book Arts Summer Institute in Aurora, New York. Set on Lake Cayuga, one of New York State’s finger lakes, the beautiful campus is an idyllic setting for a concentrated session of classes. Along with my class, the week included a letterpress class taught by Steve Miller, director of the MFA book arts program at the University of Alabama, and a decorated letter class taught by noted calligrapher Nancy Culmone from northern New Mexico. Here are a few photos from those classes:

One of the highlights of the week was a visit to Michael Bixler’s letterpress and typecasting studio in nearby Skaneateles, NY. Students and teachers spent the evening watching Michael cast a beautiful border type (everyone got some to take home) and enjoying a picnic meal.

Not everything at the institute was focused on books, letters, and printing. Meals were another important part of the day, served in the Harry Potter-style dining hall at the college. Other activities included swimming, fireworks, bubble-blowing, and block throwing. It was a memorable week….

2 responses to “Wells College’s Book Arts Summer Institute”

I listened to your interview on Steve Miller’s podcast “Bookarts and Poets” so I was especially interested to see your photos of the Wells workshop. Thanks! Your discussion made me very interested in pop-ups as a book form. Now I want to know more about the history.
Nancy